WELCOME

~ The pieces are all sewn together, stitched with love.........and a quilt tells a story and the story is our past ~

The Arrowood family immigrated from England to Maryland in the 1700's. They went south, eventually settling in the mountains of North Carolina. Later , some went further south, into the Piedmont of North Carolina, in search of work and a better way of life.

I am in search of my family.

I search for those that came before me, and lived their lives as best they could. I am in search of their stories, how they lived, and how they loved.

I shared this love of seeking the past with my Dad, sharing each new finding with him, the thrill in his heart intermingling with mine. I continue this search in his honor, and hope to know these people of ours when I join up with them all in heaven.

~ Steve Lewis Arrowood 1932-2008 ~

Come with me, back to a simpler time and place. A place far removed from the hectic pace of today. To a time when life was hard, but the rewards were great. When your quality of life was determined by your own sweat, your own toil, and your own ingenuity.

Would you like a glass of sweet tea? Let's sit out on the porch where we will catch the sweetly scented breeze of summertime. Maybe Grandma will fry up some of her wonderful chicken... Time slows here.

"We shape our lives not by what we carry with us, but what we leave behind."

~You live as long as you are remembered.~

"Our most treasured family heirlooms are our sweet family memories. " Author: Unknown

"But those who came before us will teach you. They will teach you from the wisdom of former generations."

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Arrowood Family

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Samuel and Sarah Ellender Winters Arrowood

Samuel Augustus Arrowood was a preacher man in the mountains of North Carolina.
He was born in Yancey County, North Carolina in the year of 1836.
He married Sarah Ellen “Ellender” Miller on April 21, 1858 in Yancey County. Sarah was the daughter of William N. Winters and Elizabeth “Liza” Shell. Sarah Ellen's parents are buried at Morgan Branch Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery, Carter County , Tennessee.

Samuel and Sarah Ellen are my great-great-grand parents.

Samuel and Sarah had six children. Welzia Augustus Arrowood was their firstborn and my great grandfather. Next came a daughter named Mariah, a son named William, a son named Samuel Augustus, Jr., another daughter named Eliza Caroline, and lastly a son named John Henry.

Samuel was listed as head of household in the 1870 census of Carter County, Tennessee. Just about three years later, about 1873, Samuel was dead at 37 years of age.

Sarah was left widowed, with six children, the eldest of which, was twelve years old. Sometime soon after losing Samuel, Sarah remarried to a man named David Miller. David was a widower as well, having lost his wife, Margaret Jane Callahan about three years prior. David and Margaret had seven children during their marriage. Sarah Ellen had another five children with David. Firstborn was Albert, then next, Locky, Polly, David Jr., and Lydia.

***
David MILLER was born in 1822 in Poplar, NC. He died before 1900. Birthdate determined from 1870 U.S. Census records. He was commonly known as "crippled" Dave because of an injury incurred in the Civil War. He was reportely a Union soldier. David is in the 1880 Mitchell County Census with second wife S.Ellender Miller and the following children: Samuel Miller 19, Delilia Miller 18, Nancy J. Miller 16, Albert Miller 5, Locky Miller (female) 4, Lydia Miller 2, Polly Miller 7 mo, W.M. Arrowood Step-son 14,Elizabeth Arrowood Step-daughter 12 , J.H. Arrowood Step-son 10. ***

Stop just for a moment and imagine the size of that dinner table..
All those kids: mine, yours and ours..whew. Her original six, his seven, and then the five from their marriage.

Sarah was married to David for about 27 years before he died about 1900. Sarah was listed on the 1900 census of Hollow Poplar Township, Mitchell County, North Carolina, age 65 years, living with son David and daughter Liddie.

Sarah Ellen operated a grist mill on Pigeon Roost until a flood washed it away.
Sarah Ellen came to the area to visit, or maybe live with her family in August of 1914. She passed away and was buried in Mt. Olivet Methodist Church Cemetery in Gastonia, North Carolina. She did not have a marker placed at that time. About one year later, on August 1, 1914, her son Welzia died and was buried right beside of his mother. In September of that same year, Welzia's brother William passed away.

Sarah’s grave remained unmarked for years. I found her death certificate while searching for the family and listed on it, was the place her body was interred. My Dad, Steve Lewis Arrowood, had a marker placed on her gravesite. Finally, she is remembered with a proper headstone.

Flood of 1900 and Corn Mill

The following article was published in the State magazine published in Raleigh about the great flood of 1916:

Several old timers here said it was nothing compared to the great May flood of 1900.

F.M. Miller of this place reports that he was only about a month old when the great May flood of 1900 occurred, and he recalls of his parents telling him that they had to flee to higher ground when their log cabin in the valley was being surrounded by water.

Another old timer reported that when Aunt Ellen Miller's building that housed her old corn mill that was pulled by the water wheel went floating the creek, the people who were watching the rising stream from the hillside saw a white cat, that acted unconcerned, sitting on the roof of the building which rode on down the creek and the house stayed together for sure until it drifted out into the river.

Excerpt taken from the writings of Harvey J. Miller, dated 3/21/61.

This is Sarah Ellen "Ellender" Winters Arrowood: Seated on the left in dark dress.

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The Arrowood/Arwood Family

Thanks so very much for all of the wonderful feedback I have gotten from everyone! If you are related or somehow have a tie to this family, please leave a comment for me. I welcome any additional info and absolutely love collecting pictures! If you have anything about this family you would like posted, I will gladly do so. Please, leave me a note! This has been, and continues to be, such a blessing to me.